Rain Stops For Pukkelpop

It stopped raining on the day before Pukkelpop opened and the country’s second-biggest festival celebrated in style by equaling its 2005 crowd-pulling record.

There were 40,000 on each of the first two days and 50,000 on the third day, putting it on par with the 130,000 it attracted two years ago, which is the most punters the Kiewit-Hasselt site has seen since it was upped to a three-dayer in 2001.

That year there were 93,000 across the three days, which means the average crowd has increased by more than 40 percent over the last six years.

The 80,000-capacity Rock Werchter, generally recognized as one of the best outdoors in Europe, is the only Belgian festival that pulls more.

The acts on the Pukkelpop bill August 16-18 included The Smashing Pumpkins, Arcade Fire, Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Iggy & the Stooges, Turbonegro and Eagles of Death Metal.